profit for companies selling chemicals, while simultaneously reducing the overall
environmental impact of chemical life cycles and improving the environmental
performance of companies using chemicals in their processes. This business
model is based on close long-term partnerships between CMS providers and users
of chemicals who share risks and costs for managing chemicals. This type of relation
is believed to allow for a more advanced reduction of both environmental and
health impacts and costs of chemicals.
In this article the function provided by chemicals in metalworking production
processes and the resulting environmental impact will be described. An evaluation
of the performance of a CMS partnership requires inter-disciplinary science involving
economical sciences, such as accounting, contracting and chemical engineering. In
addition, eco-toxicology and business psychology need to be considered as important
factors that influence the outcome. This broad paper introduces many of these
factors and investigates whether CMS always lead to a reduction of the environmental
risks and costs associated with the use of chemicals, how these results
are measured and how the environmental improvements can be safeguarded in
CMS relationships.
The paper presents a desktop-study describing the use and management of
chemicals and fluids in the metalworking industry in Section 11.2, and reviews
existing CMS services and their results in Section 11.3. The second part, covering
Sections 11.4 and 11.5, is based on an empirical study of fluid management through
CMS within the Volvo Group, including experiences from implementing CMS for
fluid management in one of the Volvo Group plants in Sweden, and on meetings
with European CMS providers in Section 11.4. It is based on information collected
from interviews, participatory observation and environmental reports. Finally, the
empirical results are discussed with regard to the desktop-study in Section 11.5.
This paper may be of interest for industrial users of chemicals as well as professionals
and researchers of CMS.